In brief: AMD came out swinging at CES 2025 in Las Vegas with its new 'Strix Halo' Ryzen AI Max+ mobile processors. Boasting impressive specifications, these chips seem primed to dominate the competition in the thin-and-light gaming laptop and AI workstation markets. The lineup includes four models: Ryzen AI Max+ 395/Pro, Ryzen AI Max 390/Pro, Ryzen AI Max 385/Pro, and Ryzen AI Max 380 Pro. At the top of the lineup is the Ryzen AI Max+ 395, featuring 16 CPU cores, 40 GPU cores, and support for up to 128GB of shared RAM. One step below is the Ryzen AI Max+ 390, equipped with 12 CPU cores and 32 GPU cores. Following that is the Ryzen AI Max+ 385, offering eight CPU cores and 32 GPU cores. Lastly, the Ryzen AI Max Pro 380, designed with professional users in mind, includes six CPU cores, 16 GPU cores, and enhanced security and manageability features.All models feature a 55W base TDP, configurable between 45W and 120W to accommodate more robust cooling solutions. Built on a cutting-edge 3nm process, the chips utilize a design where the CPU cores are distributed across two smaller chiplets, while the GPU and AI engines reside on a larger central I/O die. They also support up to 128GB of unified memory, with up to 96GB available for graphics a feature AMD emphasizes as crucial for seamless multitasking and handling "incredibly large AI models."The Ryzen AI Max+ 395 stands out thanks to its impressive graphics specs, boasting a 40-core RDNA 3.5 integrated GPU known as the Radeon 8060S. According to AMD, this is the fastest integrated GPU available in any Windows laptop.AMD claims the Ryzen AI Max+ 395 is up to 1.4x faster than Intel's top Lunar Lake Core Ultra 9 288V chip in gaming performance. For AI workloads, AMD asserts it can deliver up to 2.2x higher performance than Nvidia's desktop RTX 4090 GPU, while consuming just 87 percent of the power.While gaming remains a focal point, AMD is positioning the Ryzen AI Max+ APUs as versatile powerhouses for demanding workloads like video rendering, 3D modeling, data analytics, and more. According to AMD's content creation benchmarks, these chips show substantial performance gains over Apple's latest M4 Pro processors in popular render engines like V-Ray, Blender, and Corona. However, Cinebench scores reveal slightly less impressive, though still competitive, results.Naturally, vendor-provided benchmarks should always be taken with a grain of salt. However, if these processors can achieve performance levels even approaching AMD's claims, they have the potential to be game-changing releases. // Related StoriesThe new Ryzen AI Max+ chips are expected to debut in laptops from AMD's OEM partners starting in Q1 and Q2 of 2025.